The Delivery Dude

Fanta Friday

"How do I look?" I answered the door in my long swimsuit, the type with built in bike pants, that suck you in so much it's like the modern-day corset for sports women. Not to mention I was also sporting a cap and goggles, "OMG!" I screamed, not recognising the face that was before me, "You're not Neo!"

"No," the poor guy fixed his glasses which had fogged up momentarily. "I'm Gary."

I practically threw the cash at him, took my pizza without even checking whether it had extra cheese and slammed the door. I was leaning up against it, feeling the rush of embarrassment wash over me when a little knock came.

"Excuse me," the guy called out. "You forgot your change."

"Keep the change," I yelled back through the door and thankfully the guy didn't need any more convincing, so he left just before all my dignity had gone out the window.

So, as I sat there munching on the best food in the world, I couldn't help but wonder why Neo hadn't been the one to deliver it to me. I missed the banter we shared on Friday nights. He's the first guy I actually had that connection with. On occasion I got a fleeting glance or a friendly hello, but not Neo. He was different.

I was yelling at the Bachelor for not giving the rose to the girl I wanted, and I had broken into a new bag of Maltesers when the doorbell rang again. I jumped and the Maltesers flew, falling into every nook and cranny of the couch which I decided would be a later problem.

"Neo?" I was overjoyed, however totally unpresentable, with chocolate still dissolving in my mouth and cheese grease at the sides of my lips. I quickly wiped it with the robe I had changed into from my embarrassing swimming suit incident earlier.

He looked amazing. Although he pulled off the uniform well, he was even hotter in casual clothes, a tight fitted white t-shirt and black jeans with sneakers.

"I thought I owed you for the missing double dose of cheese last week so..." he lifted his hand and in it was Fanta.

"I haven't had Fanta since I was a kid! We used to have it every time we went to the cinema with..."

"Skittles?" he pulled up his other hand.

We both laughed and I stepped out onto the door mat, re-tying my robe with my feet in bed socks and slippers.

I followed him around the corner of my apartment again and we kept walking only a few more feet and reached two swings. They were at the edge of the park just across the street, our pathway lit by dozens of streetlights slowly turning on because it just got dark.

He held the swing for me, "Milady."

"Why thank you," I took a seat and started to move back and forward gently.

He sat beside me, after pouring us two cups of fizzy Fanta which bubbled my nose and brought back brilliant memories of brain freezes in cinemas.

"No, no you're doing it all wrong," I stopped Neo since he was taking a sip then chewing the lollies. "You've got to put a handful in your mouth and drink at the same time."

"That's a dentist's nightmare," he laughed but did as instructed then smiled. "Not too bad, I may overdose on sugar but it's pretty good."

I gave his swing a shove, "Pretty good? I just introduced you to a flavour bomb and that's all you have to say?"

He gave my seat a little shove when he came back and I swung to the side as well, yelling, "Hey!" with a giggle.

We were mucking around for a while and our chains got intertwined so suddenly we were practically in each other's laps.

"Guess this is the part where I'd kiss the guy," I joked, recalling him giving me lessons on flirting.

"Or visa versa," he leant forward, his lips meeting mine.

I was taken back but only for a moment and after that I felt like my lips were being sculpted by his. I'd never been kissed before, but if this is what it felt like man had I been missing out. My hands started to go weak and with it the chain must have released because we both broke apart being pulled away and spun around as if a sign. I mean what did I know about him?

Apparently not much at all when he decided to dampen the mood.

"I shouldn't have done that," he swung a little on his chair.

"Why?" I laughed, biting my lip. "Is it against policy?" I leant forward again but he didn't move closer, so my stomach suddenly dropped, and I felt foolish. He stayed silent and I took that as my calling card, "Well thanks for the drink." I got up from the swing, "If I had known you were giving extra service, I would have made the tip bigger." I started to fast walk back to my apartment, my arms folded.

"Evie!" Neo was up on his feet, chasing after me. "Look it's not like that."

I started to run reaching my door, "Yeah well what is it like then?"

He wasn't prepared to answer and that was telling enough for me.

"Listen Neo your kiss, although lovely," I waved my hands, "wasn't entirely knee weakening ok? So how about we make a truce?"

"A truce?" He had to pull up abruptly since I had stopped.

"How about you be the pizza guy and I be the chatty customer?" I entered my apartment and closed the door before anything more could be said.

I held my breath as I saw his shadow from the front window pull up to my apartment but after a while it left. As if watching his train of thought his hand went up to knock but then I watched as the shadow showed him run the same hand through his hair before turning and leaving slowly.

To me he was the pizza guy, but I knew nothing of his normal life. I got a glimpse of it tonight but really all I knew was he used to dance, he wasn't telling me everything and that he is an amazing kisser.

"I like pizza

You like pizza

I am bad at poems

Kiss me."